:: I TALK OUT LOUD LIKE YOU'RE STILL AROUND ::Flyers for some upcoming shows that I have work in. Both are one-night-only deals, so make it or break it. Details below: ::: HIJACKED: Book Launch and Photo Exhibition :::
::: MP3: Here's a nice track from Italians Numero 6, with Bonnie Prince Billy lending his voice to it (in Italian). Can't say exactly why I like it so much, but I definitely do. - Numero6 (Featuring Bonnie Prince Billy) - Da Piccolissimi Pezzi A band's place in myspace. Posted: suckapants // 05.31.08 //
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:: IT'S COMPLICATED, REALLY. ::Israel is about the same size as Maryland but there's so much to see. Here are some places our film took us.
Posted: bryan // 05.30.08 //
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:: PUNK AIN'T DEAD, IT JUST RIDES A BICYCLE NOW ::
My trip to LA was pretty interesting. I liked it way more than I expected to, and found various groups of amazing kids out there who made my trip way more fun and social than I had anticipated. There was also a fair bit of Brooklyn crossover, with both the Vivian Girls and Japanther playing at The Smell (on different nights) while I was there. DJ Dirtyfingers also made an appearance prior to his gig at the Getty (you'd be a fool to miss that one if you're in the vicinity). I was also lucky enough to catch the Choppercabras Spring Thing bike event. The demolition bike derby was a new one, and the inclusion of melee weapons as part of foot down was a funny addition. I wasn't really going to do a list for LA, but I already wrote it out, so what the hell: - Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown LA is my new favorite restaurant. Any place I can eat weird deserts next to an indoor waterfall with fake bears fishing and lightbox images of forests is going to win major points. MP3: I went to the Getty Museum while I was in LA. Besides basically showing you what the future looks like when you get off the little tram thing, they also had an exhibit of video art made by California artists from the 70s to present. Included in the exhibit was a collection of videos made by Joe Rees of Target Video. The videos chronicle early punk bands playing in San Francisco. Included with footage of The Cramps playing at a mental hospital, The Weirdos playing at a school for the deaf, and Crime playing at San Quentin, there was also footage of the short-lived and way-ahead-of-their-time band The Screamers. I was first introduced to them by an old roommate who made the best mix tapes ever (yes, ever). So not only am I going to share some tracks from this amazing band, but you can also see clips from all the videos in the exhibition online. Pretty sweet, even if you don't get to go into the future to see them. - The Screamers - 122 Hours Of Fear - The Screamers - The Beat Goes On A band's place in myspace. Posted: suckapants // 05.28.08 //
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:: AS I LAY DYING ::Our crew took a day's break to journey down to the Dead Sea. Its shores are the lowest dry land in the world at some thousand feet below sea level. It's also one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth. You can float on your back for miles. Its believed that its mud is good for the skin. Sure, why not? Posted: bryan // 05.23.08 //
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:: WHEN HASIDICS GET HYPHY ::Nachman Meuman is one of my favorite things about Israel. It's a group of ex-ravers and acid overdosers that turned to religion. They spread the word of the Torah by driving around in vans blasting techno remixes with the words "Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman". Every few blocks they'll get out and dance because they believe dancing is a supreme form of prayer. Nachman also has a logo consisting of a smiley face with the funny yarmulke they wear that's graffitied all over the country. They're basically Israel's version of sideshowing and I'm so down for them. Posted: bryan // 05.20.08 //
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:: ALL SWAGGER, NO TEETH ::
Hey. So I am going to be in LA for most of next week/weekend. Anyone out there want to show me around? Or can anyone recommend any places to check out? My last (and only) experience of LA was very brief, disjointed and punctuated by visits to the offices of "Danni's Hard Drive" and the La Brea Tar Pits. Not sure if that's some sort of metaphorical summation of LA or not. Anyway, any tips or recommendations are welcome. Also, Miss Info of radio station Hot 97 got a taste of some Ninjasonik. It didn't sit well with her, unfortunately, but their fans didn't take it laying down either. MP3: I can't beleive I haven't posted these before, with lyrics like "whoa, my boner, my boner, major boner!" and "123 (something something) this pizza's hectic!" you can't go wrong. - Modern Bummer - Major Boner - Modern Bummer - You Can't Tax A Pizza Pie A band's place in myspace. Posted: suckapants // 05.19.08 //
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:: THOSE PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A TROLL ::
There's nothing more American than riding in a minivan with automatically opening power doors. My sister just graduated, so I went down to Florida to see her and the family. It was as much fun as it was weird. No major injuries to report, although my legs got destroyed by some invisible insects while I was lurking at dawn in a wetland/marsh area. MP3: Such a perfect match for a duet. - Scout Niblett & Bonnie Prince Billy - Kiss A band's place in myspace. Posted: suckapants // 05.17.08 //
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:: PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 35 PERCENT CHANCE OF ROCKETS ::
Sderot is a poor town in the south of Israel near the Gaza border. It has been the target of thousands of Qassam rockets from Hamas over the last seven years. Those who could afford to move away have. Those who can't must be strong. On our first visit, we were in disbelief at the number of bomb shelters. On some blocks we could see three within running distance. On our second visit, we put them to use. It's an almost daily occurence. The Red Dawn sirens sounded off as we were walking through a playground. We had 15 seconds. Mothers swooped up their children and ran for the shelters in hysteria. From inside we could hear blasts followed by mortar fire. When the sirens faded out, the children returned to playing. I asked a mother if she runs like that every time the sirens sound. "Yes, every time."
As horrific as it is, this is only one side of the story. We've yet to get access into Gaza to see just why people feel the need to launch these rockets. Maybe next week. Posted: bryan // 05.11.08 //
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:: GOT THAT MEAN METH MOUTH ::
I had written this a week ago, well before I knew I would be attending the event pictured above. Kinda funny, I think. "It's strange how the end of a chapter in your life can sneak up on you and happen suddenly. Sort of like roadkill you'd been saving to taxidermy, it hits a point where you get a whiff and you know it's just too late." MP3: A very nice rendition of this classic. For some reason I can't get too excited about Jose Gonzalez's original songs, but when he does a cover he just kills it every time. - Jose Gonzalez & Junip - Ghost Of Tom Joad A band's place in myspace. Posted: suckapants // 05.09.08 //
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:: INSTINCTS: 271, CURIOSITY: 0 ::I've heard from a lot of people how great this film (Who Is Bozo Texino) is, but have yet to see it. So here's another chance in NYC. And if you're in the mood for things old-timey and western, there's a pretty cool slide show on the NY Times website about modern cowboys. They are photographed (with the same technique as the original era of the Great West) and get a chance to talk a bit. ::: Bill Daniel's "Mostly True" Book Release and Film Screening Tuesday, May 6, 7:30 PM Bill Daniel will be releasing his brand new book Mostly True, a collection of enigmatic railroad folklore and screening his freight hopping movie Who is Bozo Texino? as well as a grab bag of train subculture shorts. Many of you may know and love Bill Daniel's amazing film Who Is Bozo Texino?, which chronicles the search for the source of a ubiquitous and mythic rail graffiti sketch of a character with an infinity-shaped hat and the scrawled moniker, "Bozo Texino"- a drawing seen on railcars for 80 years. The film was shot over a period of 20 years and features interviews with hobo graffiti legends Colossus of the Roads, The Rambler, Herby (RIP) and others. Mostly True is the book companion to Who is Bozo Texino? Styled like a 1930's pulp magazine, the book is an enigmatic compilation of railroad ephemera, a ticket for time travel back to the roots of American rail folklore. The book is a direct product of 25 years of asystematically collecting any scrap of material relating to the ideas of tramping trains, hobo life, and depression-era culture and graffiti (with a small g). ::: MP3: Here are two versions of a traditional song, "When I Was A Young Girl." So the question is, which one do you like better? - Hally Wood - When I Was A Young Girl - Feist - When I Was A Young Girl A band's place in myspace. Posted: suckapants // 05.05.08 //
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:: SLOWLY SLIPPING INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN ::I'm currently in Israel working on a documentary film about surfers here and in Gaza called God Went Surfing With The Devil. Despite being a country at war, Tel Aviv is a pretty relaxed place. Folks go to the beach, which they call the sea, all the time. The girls are beautiful. There are restaurants that serve nothing than bowls of hummus. We've had some heavy days, but here is a look at the lighter side of Israel.
Posted: bryan // 05.05.08 //
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:: IF YOU WEREN'T THERE, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN ::
A larger gallery of SXSW '08 can be found here. This post from SXSW is only a few months late (thanks to shitty iPods who like to lose my files). Kind of takes the wind out of it's sails, a lot. But hey, better late than never. With the 5-minute lifespan the internet affords anything, you kind of just have to think of it in the context of "posterity," I guess. SXSW 2008 The List: - Already bleeding the first two days there. Day 1: stabbed by a cactus while rushing to show, blood oozes down arm and hand. Day 2: cracked good by a crowd surfer at Motorhead, small head wound. The Awards: - Best new band: Monotonix. MP3: This is one of my favorite local bands to go see in crowded basements. Okay, favorite local bands to see in crowded basements where I DON'T get moshed into oblivion. - Rejouissance - Our War With Faith - Rejouissance - The Race A band's place in myspace. Posted: suckapants // 05.02.08 //
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:: PUT THE PITA IN YOUR POCKET ::Last week we found ourselves in Jerusalem where the Hasids were protesting the sale of leavened bread during Passover. Hundreds of Israeli soliders waited up the street while many more disgruntled men in dark coats and fur hats gathered in the square. Old men with grey beards shouted vehemently in Yiddish about the desecration of their Jewish state by secular interests. As more men gathered, we were pushed to the sidelines. Besides women, photographers were the least welcome attendees. The barrage of foreign sights and sounds only increased the tension.
As Alex said, "In most countries they protest because there's not enough bread. In Jerusalem they protest because there's too much." Posted: bryan // 05.01.08 //
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